Fairytale Endings
by sparklylulz
Summary: Puck smirked at her, “Well, you better suck it up, Berry, ‘cause I’m no Finn Hudson.”


**A/N: So here's a one shot **_**not**_** written with lyrics.**

**It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing.**

**The Cinderella film that Mike and Kurt reference is the 1997 version.**

**There's no baby Drizzle.**

**I hope you enjoy the fluff :)**

**--**

"_I love you, not only for what you are, But for what I am when I am with you_."  
--Roy Croft

Fairytale endings are a figment of the imagination. That's always the stance Rachel had on the subject. It was foolish to ever believe a kiss could be a cure to poison, or that one glass shoe can make everything better. She'd learned early on in life that there were few princesses, and that none of them were kind. That's when she had thrown all her princess movies out, and started focusing on more realistic dreams.

Her hatred and disapproval for fairytales didn't keep her from wishing she could a prince. A boy who would love her, for her, just as Mr. Schuester had said. She was fairly confident that she had found him, and his name was Finn Hudson. Finn was everything a prince should be; funny, charming, cute, and _good_. It just so happened to be that he wasn't exactly available.

Rachel had always associated Quinn Fabray with a wicked step sister, a girl who would do anything to ensure that Rachel would stay in her place. It was like Glee club was a small universe, and pretending it was part of a fairytale made things easier.

Kurt was a fairy godmother; Mercedes was the character that brought everyone back to reality, and gave them motivation; Santana, Quinn, and Brittany were the evil step sisters; Finn was Prince Charming, and Artie was his helper and friend. Matt and Mike were the two guys that you see once, but know that they have good in their hearts. Tina was the best friend of the protagonist, and Rachel was, (of course), the lost princess. But, where did that leave Puck? He never fit any category Rachel tried to stuff him in.

Only one thing about Finn really gnawed away at Rachel. He was Prince Charming, sure, but he wasn't really a _hero_. He wouldn't steal from the rich and give to the poor. Or if that was a metaphor for the social classes, he certainly failed in that area, he couldn't even pick a side. She seriously doubted that he would understand the concept of letting someone go because you loved them more than yourself. It nagged in the back of Rachel's brain that the one person out of Glee that she could put in that tragic, misunderstood hero role was Noah Puckerman.

She would give anything to find what all the girls in those stories had found. Someone who really cared about them, and not for sex. Perhaps that was really why she hated fairy tales so much.

She observed everyone in Glee, playing their roles flawlessly. Kurt was flitting around, giving everyone fashion tips; and Santana was cackling at something; Finn had a small smile on his face as he stared at Quinn. Yes, they were all in character. The only outlier was the tan boy in the back row, who was frowning.

Puck was irritated for several reasons; his sister had somehow managed to spill Fruit Loops all over his lettermen's jacket, and it was freaking cold out. His mother had noticed the lipstick on his collar—the fourth this week, and promptly grounded him. Lastly, Rachel crazy ass Berry was staring at him with a confused and annoyed look on her face. This irritated him because it made his chest tighten, in a good way. Whenever she was around he felt like he might actually be worth a shit, and he wasn't sure if he liked it or hated it.

"Hey Berry," he called out to the young brunette, and she snapped out of her thought process and looked at him questioningly, "take a picture. It'll last longer."

She threw him a scathing look and then turned her attention to the front of the room, where Kurt and Mercedes were organizing the theme for this Halloween.

The Glee club was hosting a huge costume party, and Rachel knew that spelled catastrophe in several different and exotic languages. It wasn't until Kurt had dropped the forbidden 'f' word that Rachel decided that perhaps Glee _was _trying to kill her.

"We had decided, being since there are an even number of males and females, unfortunately for myself, that we should have a theme that includes partners." Kurt began, standing stiff as always, and brushing a piece of hair back into its perfect place.

"In short, my dear Gleeks, we will all be Fairytale prince and princesses." He smiled, and the rush of the highly ironic glee in the air was almost tangible. Even the guys were down with this idea.

Rachel groaned for two reasons. One, she hated all things Disney princess themed; and two, all the other kids had someone to go with, and though there was an even number she knew no one wanted to go with the freak named Berry. She sighed sadly, as they gave out costume ideas, and labeled each person with their characters. She didn't even stay to see her partner, guessing she didn't want to know.

Puck watched her leave, confused as to why the Rachel Berry was leaving ten minutes early from Glee. If anything she usually stayed an extra hour. Shit, he was ready to leave too, but he was fairly certain Kurt would kill him.

"Okay, so we've got enough pairs, but there is the thorny issue of Rachel. Now, I suggest-" Puck turned, looking at Kurt.

"I'll take Berry. I can handle her crazy." He said quickly, before Kurt could rip on Rachel. It irritated him when others were rude to her, he had started that, and no one else had the right to continue it.

Kurt gazed at Puck with a slight awe, as did the rest of the club. It seemed highly unlikely that those two would ever make any good pair in any sense. Soon, Kurt's lips turned up in a smile that clearly said, _'I have the greatest idea ever.'_ Puck noticed.

"You know, I have the greatest idea for your theme. It fits both your rather brutal side, and Rachel's inner crazy." He trailed off, smiling even wider at a very confused Noah Puckerman.

--

The girls, (and Kurt, naturally), from Glee showed up at Rachel's early that following Saturday, determination set on each and every one of their faces. She'd been highly surprised to find half of Glee standing on her doorstep, several bags in hand.

"Look, Rachel, although you are quite abrasive, and dress like my grandmother did before she died, we still would like to help get you ready for tonight. Quite frankly, we don't think you could do it alone." Kurt said bluntly, pushing his way into her house, the other five bystanders wandering in also.

Rachel was very use to Kurt, and chose to ignore his negative comments, and ask a question instead.

"As I do not support the propaganda that Disney is pushing onto young and impressionable girls via the princess industry, I still must attend this party, so which Princess did I get stuck with?

She asked, eying the huge bag Mercedes was holding close to her chest.

"Oh, but we must let the dress do the talking for us." Kurt said ominously, which ignited giggles from Tina and Brittany.

An hour and a half, and several bobby pins later, Rachel sat staring at herself in her vanity mirror. It was like she was someone else. Her hair was elegantly falling over her shoulders, and her tan skin glowed. If she hadn't been a Disney princess she would have loved it.

She reached up to her hair, and Kurt smacked her hand away. "I honestly don't know how they did it without hairspray." He said exasperatedly, tucking the lock Rachel had managed to pull out, behind her ear.

"Kurt, you do know that these are characters, and not real people, right?" Rachel said, smirking at Kurt's wistful expression.

"Don't ruin this for me, or so help me God, I will give you split ends." He stated holding the straightner up in a menacing fashion, and Rachel didn't think he was joking one bit.

"You look… good, Rachel." Quinn managed to get out. Rachel figured this was the nicest thing Quinn had ever said to her, and to just accept it.

"Yeah, your prince will be shocked all right." Tina grinned, tucking a blue strand of hair behind her ear.

Rachel looked up at all of them, and they were all smirking at each other, as if it were some huge private joke.

"Who… who is my 'Prince?'" She asked; scared to know who she had drawn. She knew that there was no way in hell that it was Finn. That would only happen over Quinn's dead body.

They all looked at each other.

"Oh, you'll see." Mercedes said quickly, and went back to placing blush on the Jewish girl's cheeks.

Rachel could see that she wasn't going to win, so she sighed in defeat, and looked back to the mirror, slightly miffed.

--

That night she kissed her fathers goodbye. They had told her for the fifty forth time, (she'd counted), how beautiful and perfect she looked. She'd made sure not to rip her dress, as Mercedes would have killed her, as she climbed into her car.

It wasn't a long drive over to the Chang's house. As it turned out, Mike's father was the half brother of Tina's father, making them cousins. On the weekends, Mike's father would go out of town and leave him with the Cohen-Changs. This weekend, neither set of parents would be in, because there was some Asian cuisine festival two towns over.

Rachel stepped out of the car, trying not to fall and break her neck. That would be her luck, like a punishment for hating being a princess. She rapped on the door three times before the it swung open, and Tina greeted her.

She was dressed in traditional Chinese fashion, and had two chopsticks stuck at an angle through her hair. Next to her was a wheelchair-bound Artie, wearing a similar outfit.

"Who're you guys?" Rachel asked, looking them up and down.

"Mulan, and Captain Li Shang." Artie said proudly, butchering the last name a bit. Rachel smiled; Mulan was one of the best out of the princesses. She could actually stand that movie a bit.

"Thought it'd be easier, seeing as I'm Chinese." Tina shrugged, allowing Rachel room to come in. Rachel nodded, looking around the room.

She spotted Finn, dressed as whom she guessed was Prince Phillip, as he was standing next to Quinn, who donned a pink dress. She was Sleeping Beauty. _Of course,_ Rachel added as an afterthought. It caused her a pang to see Finn take Quinn's hand in his, and dance with her.

_Stupid fairytales_.

Next were Mercedes, and Kurt. Mercedes had feathers sticking out of the back of her hair, and Kurt was wearing a rather bright blue shirt. The paint on Mercedes arm gave away the fact that she was Pocahontas. That made Kurt John Smith, which was kind of funny. He was one of the more manly princes. Kurt managed to make him look like a very fashionable metrosexual, however.

Rachel decided that living room was not the ideal place to be, and rushed to the kitchen, where she saw Santana leaning against Matt on the counter. Santana's firm stomach was exposed, as what Matt's. Their baggy clothing tipped Rachel off that they must be Jasmine and Aladdin. She had liked Aladdin simply because the princess had a pet tiger. That made the rest of the movie a bit more bearable.

She turned to see Mike and Kurt in the next room, and hear them over the loud music pumping throughout the suburban home.

"A _Chinese_ Prince Charming?" Kurt asked, in his very scandalized voice. Mike was indeed dressed as Prince Charming, with Brittany on his right arm. Her frame was covered by a beautiful blue dress that moved about her in a way that made Rachel's heart break.

Mike looked at the fashionista and shrugged. "It worked in that movie with the black Cinderella."

"Yeah, well, that movie also had _Whitney Houston_ as the fairy god mother." Kurt quipped back in disgust, and left to refill his cup.

All the other people were mainly sophomores and juniors, all dressed up as various things. She saw Ketchup and Mustard run by her, and even someone riding a blow up Ostrich.

It took her a moment to realize that the only glee member missing was Noah. This meant he was her prince. It made sense. She got the one guy that, in all likelihood, wouldn't show up at all.

She turned at walked towards the living room with the full intent on leaving the second she could find an escape route. Then she felt herself thud into someone much larger and harder than herself.

"Drinking already, Berry?" Puck asked, finding it hard to form words at the moment, as he stared down at the most beautiful princess he had ever seen.

Rachel looked up, and could have laughed. Noah had a furry lion's mane attached to his head, and was smirking down at her.

"Way to get into character." She laughed, and he rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, Berry. Just be lucky you landed a stud like me." He grinned cheekily. She looked at his full appearance, right down to his black, shiny shoes.

"You clean up very nicely, Noah." She said gently, running a finger through his mane. He shrugged a little, and placed a hand on her small back.

"Well, Belle, would you like to dance?" He asked. She studied him for a moment.

"While it would be ridiculously cliché, and very Disney, and practically go against everything I agree with… I'd love to." She smiled. He rolled his eyes once again.

"You know, Berry, a simple 'yeah,' woulda done the trick."

"I know." She grinned up at him, and he felt that unfamiliar tightening in his chest once again.

He took her small hand in his and pulled her out into Tina's open living room. The yellow fabric was swaying all around her. He held her close as they began, spinning her every so often, as she sang an unfamiliar tune. Neither said a word, they just watched each other, keeping in step perfectly. He drew her into him, and brushed a piece of hair from her face. She was becoming much too comfortable around him. She knew that he'd probably do something to disappoint her very soon. But, for that moment she felt like a princess.

He reluctantly stopped the dance as the music regained the original up beat tempo it had been following. She was out of breath. He was a fantastic dancer, and she briefly wondered where he had learned.

She looked at him, and began to notice something different about him. Maybe it was the light, or the dance, or the stupid poofy dress, but something had changed. That much she did know.

"Wanna get some fresh air?" He asked, and she nodded, not really trusting her ability to speak.

She followed him out the French doors, carefully lifting her beautiful yellow dress over her heel clad feet. He was sitting on the edge of the outdoor table. He was staring up at the star, trying to remember what it was like before, when everything seemed so much easier.

She sat carefully next to him, and peered over at him.

"What's on your mind?" She asked softly, hoping he'd give her an honest answer.

He looked at her as if he wanted to say something rude, but he kept whatever comment he had conjured, to himself.

"You." He answered simply, and turned to staring up at the starry night.

"I hate princesses." She said suddenly; not entirely sure what propelled her to admit this to him, but she felt it was urgent that she do so.

"But, you are a princess." He said confused. As far as he was concerned, Rachel Berry was the princess of Lima.

"No, I'm not" She scoffed. "Princesses are supposed to be beautiful, and popular, and always, no matter what, get their Prince Charming. I'm currently zero for three." She said sarcastically, looking at Tina's tulips.

Puck looked over at her sad expression.

"Well, I'm no Prince Charming, so no worries. Fairytales ain't what they're cracked up to be." He said slowly, almost as if it were painful. He was thinking of Finn, and how much of a Prince Charming that boy was.

He did remind her of the Beast. He meant well, he had just gotten lost someone along the way, and the Puck side of him had taken over. Noah was still inside of him, he just needed to be released.

"I always thought of Glee as a fairytale. Everyone got their own role. There was a fairy godmother, and wicked step sisters, and a Prince Charming." Rachel said slowly, taking in Noah's face.

"Yeah? And what was I, Berry?" He asked, almost afraid to ask.

"I couldn't ever fit you anywhere, until tonight." She replied, nervous all of a sudden. That was silly, because Rachel Berry didn't get nervous. Ever.

"And where is that?" Puck asked, feeling his cold outer shell melt away, as she looked up at him, her beautiful face lit up from moonlight.

"My hero. I spent so much energy forcing myself to believe that guy was Finn. When really he was you." She said softly, looking up at the boy who'd saved her from so many things.

Her first boyfriend; the guy who quit football for her, and now the guy who had danced with her in front of everyone else and not been ashamed.

Puck stared down at her and smiled. He placed both his hands on her cheeks and brought her face up to meet his. He kissed her gently, and let her lips deepen the kiss. Both teens had missed the feeling.

As the parted, Puck smirked at her, "Well, you better suck it up, Berry, 'cause I'm no Finn Hudson."

Rachel pulled him back to her.

_"Thank god for that."_

When she looked back on it, she figured this was one fairytale she might actually enjoy, because the princess finally found her Prince Charming.


End file.
